If it's plush cabins and sunpads you're after, look away now. But if you want a rock-solid wave smasher that knows no fear, the Botnia Targa 30.1 is for you
The Botnia Targa 30.1 is the first brand new Targa for around four years and we thought what better way to put it to the test than a trip from Poole to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight and back.
This is the sort of trip that Targa owners will do in their sleep, whatever the weather and whenever they fancy. Conditions for the test played to Targa’s strength with a snappy wind over tide chop and very few other boats on the water to get in the way of this 42-knot wave crusher.
All that is good about Botnia’s iconic range is in place on the 30.1. A sturdy wheelhouse design with fantastically practical and safe deck spaces and a hull, that though it doesn’t look all that special, is one of the best on the water in a rough sea.
Engine options are exhaustive; all from Volvo Penta you can have a single D6 330, 370 or 400 and twin D4s with either 225, 260 or, like the boat we tested, 300 horsepower. We saw a top speed of 42.5 knots in the calm of the Solent but, most impressive, was the 24-knot cruise that we maintained in the choppy weather on the way over.
On the way back the short chop was replaced with a more spaced out following sea and the Targa relished every second. Sure, it’s not a particularly dry ride but my word does thing make impressive progress with the sea behind it.
The flare on the bow pushes spray well clear of the boat, creating sprawling wings of spray either side. They are not beautiful boats but tackling a heaving sea they look incredible.
The twin-cabin accommodation is not the last word in luxury and you’re going to be sharing your ensuite bathroom with guests but then you don’t buy this boat for the size of the cabins.
You buy it because it’s tough, rugged and will take you wherever you want to go when you want to go. It’s evolution, not revolution, but when it’s this effective who cares?
Read the full report in the December 2016 issue of MBY.
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